The person giving you official travel advice may be an inmate

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The warm voice answering your 800-VISITNC call will gladly mail you the 174-page Official 2018 North Carolina Travel Guide, a North Carolina road map, or brochures about Civil War sites, AMTRAK connections or wineries. The crews who answer seven incoming lines – including “511” roadside emergency calls – are all inmates of the N.C. Correctional Institution for Women, the largest women’s penitentiary in North Carolina. John Bordsen for USA TODAY

The program began in the 1980s, according to Bryan Gupton, of the N.C. Department of Commerce, left, and Teresa Smith, the call center’s onsite supervisor for the Department of Commerce. "The program is a model of efficiency of the state government," Gupton says. "And we understand that participating inmates make a significant contribution to our economy." John Bordsen for USA TODAY

The N.C. Correctional Institution for Women in Raleigh looks like a scruffy, low-slung college laced in cyclone fencing topped with concertina wire. It has a permanent population of about 1,700 inmates, ages 16 to 89. John Bordsen for USA TODAY

A guided walk through a series of security fences leads to a pair of trailers; one processes outgoing tourist mailings, the other is where the phone staff works. Staff total: 30 inmates plus supervisors. John Bordsen for USA TODAY

The program began in the 1980s, when tourism inquiries were handled by state employees or an imperfect computer system. The proposed fix was prison labor. Inmates could learn telemarketing skills, operating costs would be minimal, and callers could get desired information from a live person. John Bordsen for USA TODAY

Those chosen to field calls are screened for education level and people skills. Training in state history and tourism marketing is comprehensive and ongoing. These inmates will work well over their long hauls: All wear purple prison uniform, indicating their status as medium and close-watch security inmates. John Bordsen for USA TODAY

The call center itself looks like a low-key telemarketing office, a row of back-to-back computer stations for eight to 10 inmates on one of two shifts. Questions that can’t be answered by staffers are referred to state or local agencies most likely to have the requested information. Some calls can be handled in 30 seconds; others take 30 minutes to resolve. John Bordsen for USA TODAY

The room also holds racks of tourist brochures; at the end of the computer bank is a display of letters from children in places like Salinas, California, or the grade-schoolers in North Pole, Alaska, seeking mailed information. John Bordsen for USA TODAY

The program has worked like gangbusters. Interim warden Herachio Haywood gets calls from counterparts in other states about it. ”Some states have tried to launch comparable initiatives,” he says, “but those haven’t worked out.”
The North Carolina model involves unique collaboration of the departments of Commerce, Public Safety and Transportation. John Bordsen for USA TODAY

And where would the inmates answering tourist calls like to go? Kim, serving a sentence of about 17 years, says, “I would like to see the Dale Chihuly glass display that’s at the Biltmore (in Asheville). It actually lights up at night.” Biltmore.com/Chihuly Studio

Aamber's sentence ends in 2027; she’s hoping for early release in 4 ½ years. If she could head anywhere, she says, it would be Asheville, which has "a real arts vibe with a Southern twist." exploreasheville.com

Aamber will be working at the call center for two years as of December. She loves that Asheville has buskers, live music and antique shops. Also, a quiet life -- "A cabin where I could walk outside and be inspired by the mountains.” exploreasheville.com

“Onslow County has an island that’s good for shelling -- an island with nobody there that has pretty shells," Janet says. "I’d have to count that as a dream place.” Janet is serving a life sentence. John Bordsen for USA TODAY

The N.C. Correctional Institution for Women in Raleigh looks like a scruffy, low-slung college laced in cyclone fencing topped with concertina wire. It has a permanent population of about 1,700 inmates, ages 16 to 89.(Photo: John Bordsen for USA TODAY)

RALEIGH, N.C. – The warm voice answering your 800-VISITNC call will gladly mail you the 174-page Official 2018 Travel Guide, a North Carolina road map, or brochures about Civil War sites, AMTRAK connections or wineries. She can also field detailed questions about whitewater rafting, kayaking, ski slopes, fairs, cultural festivals or events in the state’s 100 counties.

She has been trained to handle all variety of inquiries coming to the Visitor Call Center, and is not a fly-by-night phone jockey: She will be there for a while.

The two crews who answer seven incoming lines – including “511” roadside emergency calls – are all inmates of the N.C. Correctional Institution for Women, the largest women’s penitentiary in the state. Some will be here for life.

Proven track record

The 30-acre prison on the southeast outskirts of Raleigh, near Interstate 40, looks like a scruffy, low-slung college laced in cyclone fencing topped with concertina wire. It has a permanent population of about 1,700 inmates, ages 16 to 89, and also processes 200 to 240 women per month who are entering the North Carolina penal system.

In the back of the buzzer-entry administration building, a monitored door leads to a breezeway and a gatehouse where security is tighter than at many international airports – an electronic walk-through and item-basket X-ray, plus wand and pat-down. A guided walk through a series of security fences leads to a pair of trailers; one processes outgoing tourist mailings, the other is where the phone staff works. The operation includes 30 inmates plus supervisors.

A guided walk through a series of security fences leads to a pair of trailers; one processes outgoing tourist mailings, the other is where the phone staff works.(Photo: John Bordsen)

Prison grounds have inmate-tended lawns and plantings. License plates bearing the state’s “First in Flight” motto are manufactured in one building. But according to Teresa Smith, the call center’s onsite supervisor for the Department of Commerce, her station is the most desirable inmate workplace. “At $1 to $3 per day, it is the best-paying prison job and is in one of the few air-conditioned and carpeted workplaces.“

Those chosen to field calls are screened for education level and people skills. Training in state history and tourism marketing is comprehensive and ongoing. These inmates will work well over their long hauls: All wear purple uniforms.

The program began in the 1980s, when tourism inquiries were handled by state employees or an imperfect computer system. The proposed fix was prison labor. Inmates could learn telemarketing skills, operating costs would be minimal and callers could get desired information from a live person.

The program worked like gangbusters. Interim warden Herachio Haywood gets calls from counterparts in other states about it. ”Some states have tried to launch comparable initiatives,” he says, “but those haven’t worked out.”

The North Carolina model involves unique collaboration between the departments of Commerce, Public Safety and Transportation.

In 2017, the Visitor Call Center answered more than 95,000 calls and fulfilled 769,000 phoned requests for maps and brochures. Four days before Hurricane Florence was scheduled to pummel the Carolina coast, the center expanded its 8-to-8 operating hours for the emergency, handling calls from seaside residents and visitors seeking to flee inland and for others who wanted to cancel or adjust plans and reservations.

Any day, questions that can’t be answered by staffers are referred to state or local agencies most likely to have the requested information. Some calls can be handled in 30 seconds, others take 30 minutes to resolve.

Call and response

The call center itself looks like a low-key telemarketing office, a row of back-to-back computer stations for eight to 10 inmates on one of two shifts. Space for manuals are on shelves above each screen. The walls are covered with iconic North Carolina photos of the Outer Banks, mountain vistas, forests and skyscrapers. The room also holds racks of tourist brochures; at the end of the computer bank is a Kids Corner display of “Flat Stanley” cut-outs and letters from children in places like Salinas, California, or the grade-schoolers in North Pole, Alaska, seeking mailed information.

The phones are incoming-only. The computers are only linked to N.C. Tourism sites and databases, with information updated by in-state tourism groups and agencies. A classroom in the call center double-wide is used for inmate training by the area’s Wake Technical Community College.

Throughout the year, staffers from the state-operated visitor centers come to provide updates. Reps from city, county and regional tourist agencies do the same. An annual highlight for call center workers is the December update by the appreciative northeast North Carolina counties, members of whom always bring a barbecue truck and in turn watch a play that call center inmates stage for them.

Phones are staffed every day except Christmas.

Three inmates were asked to share their insights.

“On a slow day, I might get a dozen calls. Last night, I handled 40 from the Outer Banks,” says Kim. Either way, she says, “I feel like I’m in an office and not in a cage. It’s a real job, and I’m making a difference by helping people.”

She has been working in the call center six years. Her most memorable call: “It was from an elderly lady who said, ‘My husband and I drove down from Ohio and we’re trying to get to Dollywood (in Tennessee), but we’re lost and I don’t know where I am.’ I told her, ‘Just stay on the road and tell me what the next sign is that you see.’ The call took a half hour, but I helped get them where they wanted to go.”

Kim is serving a sentence of about 17 years. If she could go anywhere in North Carolina right now, “I would like to see the Dale Chihuly glass display that’s at the Biltmore (in Asheville). It actually lights up at night.”

And where would the inmates answering tourist calls like to go? “I would like to see the Dale Chihuly glass display that’s at the Biltmore (in Asheville). It actually lights up at night,” says Kim, who works at the call center during her prison sentence.(Photo: Biltmore.com)

Aamber will be working at the call center for two years as of December. “I love to help people, and I get a sense of community with people on the outside,” she says.

It’s also an education. “I’ve learned a lot about the fall leaves. As a kid I didn’t appreciate the fall color and had no clue about the mountains, the Blue Ridge Parkway and other places where you can really see it.”

If she could head anywhere, it would be Asheville. “There are buskers, live music and antique shops – a real arts vibe with a Southern twist. I’d also go there for the quiet life, a cabin where I could walk outside and be inspired by the mountains.”

Her sentence ends in 2027. She’s hoping for early release in 4 ½ years.

Janet has worked at the call center for two years, and the open-ended questions are often the hardest to handle. “Those are the ones where the caller might say something like, ‘Give me some dates for when I have a 5-year-old for the weekend. Maybe for a treasure hunt.’”

Some callers, Janet says, over-share – “It’s like taxi cab confessions. We get those a lot of time, like someone saying, ‘My mom is dying in Wilmington. … ‘

“People are not used to talking to a real person, and If I’m able to help in a way, that’s wonderful. It’s giving back to a society we wronged. It’s emotional rehabilitation but also it has a weird irony: I am a prisoner telling people how to travel.”

There’s a seasonal rhythm to the calls, Janet notes. “In fall, calls are about leaves in Asheville and elsewhere in Western North Carolina. Winter is about renting log cabins and getting away. And right before Christmas, people ask about Santa trains in the mountains. Calls are also localized for out-of-state people returning home, like ‘What will there be to do in Lumberton?’

“Summer might be when we get the highest volume of calls. It’s all about beaches and families scouting university towns in advance of the fall semester.”

Where would she go?

“Onslow County has an island that’s good for shelling – an island with nobody there that has pretty shells. I’d have to count that as a dream place.”

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NASCAR Hall of Fame: With over 73% of motorsports employees working in the Charlotte area, it is no wonder that the city is also home to the NASCAR Hall of Fame. Since its opening on May 11, 2010, the hall usually sees 170,000 visitors, or more, per year. Led by the design of executive architect Pei Cobb Freed & Partners, this 390,000-square-foot building is home not only to the Hall of Fame but also NASCAR Digital Media, NASCAR’s licensing division and their video game licensee Dusenberry Martin Racing. The Hall of Fame itself is home to multiple artifacts, hands-on exhibits, a 278-person state-of-the-art theater and the Hall of Honor. The building features a stainless-steel möbius that wraps around the exterior of the structure and specialized exhibition lighting. Flickr/Nick Ledford

Located in Asheville, Biltmore was the vision of George W. Vanderbilt. Designed by Richard Morris Hunt and opened in 1895, America’s largest home is a 250-room French Renaissance chateau, exhibiting the Vanderbilt family’s original collection of furnishings, art and antiques. The Biltmore estate encompasses more than 8,000 acres including renowned gardens designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, the father of American landscape architecture. Biltmore House, while still privately owned, has been open to the public since 1930, and welcomes more than 1.5 million people annually. Biltmore Estate Public Relations

Cape Hatteras Lighthouse: Per request of the U.S. Navy, Congress allotted $80,000 to the United States Lighthouse Board to construct a new warning signal at Cape Hatteras in 1868. The board was composed of two Navy officers, two Army engineers, two civilian scientists, and one officer from both the Navy and Army to serve as secretaries. Finished in under two years under the leadership of brevet Brigadier General J.H. Simpson of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Cape Hatteras lighthouse cost $167,000. The new tower was the tallest brick lighthouse in the world. It stands 200 feet above the ground and the focal height of the light is 208 feet above water. Today the Coast Guard has ownership of the lighthouse and operates the navigational equipment and the National Park Service maintains the tower as a historic structure. Flickr/Cape Hatteras National Seashore

RDU Airport Terminal 2: Located in the largest research park in all of North America, the RDU Airport Terminal 2 expresses the cutting-edge influence of the three universities and the multiple bioscience companies in the Research Triangle. A combination of the area’s heritage, landscape and economy, Terminal 2’s flowing roofline reflects the Piedmont Hills, while the daylit interior offers the latest in common-use technology. Wood trusses create spaces that are column-free and offer productivity and flexibility from ticketing to security. Terminal 2 at RDU was honored as the world’s best in “Notable Regional Airport Development” by Passenger Terminal World. Fentress Architects served as the executive architects for the RDU Airport Terminal 2. Brady Lambert

The J.S. Dorton Arena: The Dorton Arena was built to be utilized by agriculture, commerce, industry and the general welfare of North Carolina. It has gained an international presence since completing construction in 1951. The suspended roof eradicates the need for structural steel supports and results in seats without any view obstructions. The exterior walls are composed of tinted, glare-reducing glass. The building celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2002 and was named a National Architectural and National Civil Engineering Monument. Matthew Nowicki and William Henley Dietrick served as the executive architects for the Dorton Arena. Flickr/Natural Math

North Carolina Museum of Art West Building: Located in a 164-acre park outside of Raleigh is the North Carolina Museum of Art. The gallery is comprised of one large room. The spaces are defined by free-standing walls and the artwork is lit with even daylight, which permeates from elliptical light-reflecting windows that are coordinated in the ceiling. The West Building is complemented by exterior courts with reflecting pools and gardens. The glass is regulated with layered curtains which softens the transition between the museum and exterior, while still allowing the building’s walls to reflect the landscape. Thomas Phifer and Partners served as the executive architect for the West Building. North Carolina Museum of Art

Duke Mansion: Constructed in 1915 and expanded by its owner, James Buchanan Duke, the Duke Mansion has served as a home and host to many different leaders of the 20th century. Duke’s most lasting benefactions include Duke University, Duke Energy and the Duke Endowment, which all got their start at the Duke Mansion. Registered with the National Register of Historic Places, the mansion is managed as a nonprofit with all of the proceeds being used to protect and preserve this community treasure. C.C. Hook served as the executive architect for the Duke Mansion. George Lainis

Bechtler Museum of Modern Art: The Bechtler Museum of Modern Art features a glass atrium that flows through the museum’s core and helps distribute natural light throughout the building. The wide atrium also allows for an open flow between spaces. The building’s fourth-floor gallery makes a dramatic presentation as it comes from the core of the building and is supported by a column rising from the plaza below. The Bechtler Museum also has a vaulted skylight system and terracotta exterior. It boasts an elegantly simple palette of materials including steel, glass, terracotta, black granite, polished concrete and wood. Mario Botta served as the executive architect for the Bechtler Museum. Bechtler Museum of Modern Art

Thalian Hall: Since construction was completed in 1858, Thalian Hall has had the unique responsibility of serving as both the area’s cultural and political center. Thalian Hall is the only surviving theater created by John Montague Trimble, who was one of America’s foremost 19th-century architects for theaters. Listed on the National Register for Historic Places, it was built at a time when Wilmington was the largest city in North Carolina. The brand-new building housed the library, town government and also an Opera House that seated 1,000 people, which at the time was 10% of the population of the city of Wilmington. John Montague Trimble served as the executive architect for Thalian Hall. Flickr/Mark Lee

American Tobacco Campus: The Historic American Tobacco Campus includes 10 buildings made up of over 1 million square feet of recycled industrial architecture forming a historical timeline stretching from 1874 to 1954. Begun in 2001, the revitalization project called for creating a new life for a complex near Durham’s struggling city center that sat empty and unused after the factory’s closing in the 1980s. Eddie Belk and his team worked closely with the North Carolina State Historic Preservation Office and the National Parks Service to guide the project through the review processes necessary to claim state and federal Historic Tax Credits. As a result, American Tobacco became the largest Historic Tax Credit Industrial Renovation in the southern United States and was placed on the National Register of Historic Places as a National Historic Landmark. Surrounded by history and tradition, the American Tobacco Historic District has become one of Durham’s most active urban spaces and has been repeatedly recognized for the design and overall success of the project. American Tobacco Campus

Duke Chapel: Duke Chapel is an illustration of neo-Gothic architecture in the English style. Characterized by large stone piers, ribbed vaults, pointed arches and flying buttresses, Gothic architecture features allow the creation of ample open spaces, uninterrupted by columns for support. The chapel is composed of volcanic stone from a quarry in Hillsborough, N.C. This quarry was purchased by Duke University for the creation of their West Campus, and the material is known as Hillsborough bluestone. The distinctive stone ranges in color from a rust orange to a slate gray in 17 different shades. The vaults and walls of the transepts are made of Guastavino tile, which is also used in buildings such as New York’s Grand Central Station, Grant’s Tomb and the Queensboro Bridge. Julian Abele (Horace Trumbauer) served as the executive architect for Duke Chapel. Wikimedia Commons

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The Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture: The Gantt Center honors contributions of African Americans to the nation’s culture and provides an important space in Charlotte for dance, visual and film arts, music, arts education, literature, theater and community outreach. The center was inspired by the historic Myers School that resided in the Brooklyn neighborhood, a once-flourishing African American community that was gradually uprooted by the growing central business district. Inspired by African textile designs and quilting patterns, the exterior of the center features metal panels that are woven together by steel channels with windows to provide daylight for areas of the building. Perkins + Will served as the executive architect for the Gantt Center. Flickr/Mark Clifton

James B. Hunt Jr. Library: The Hunt Library features a unique modern exterior and a cutting-edge technology-filled interior. Time magazine has called Hunt Library “the library of the future.” The library has reduced the space needed for stacks by introducing a bookBot that delivers the books to you. With the use of a virtual browse system, users can see a virtual shelf with items related to the search subject. Books can be checked out and retrieved by the bookBot and are ready for the user to pick up in just a few minutes. Hunt Library has received more than 20 awards, with prizes including the Stanford Prize for Innovation in Research Libraries, and three national awards for library interiors, architectural design and planning, and education facility design. Snøhetta and Clark Nexsen served as the executive architects for the Hunt Library. Jeff Goldberg, Esto

Grove Park Inn: In 1911 Edwin Wiley Grove commissioned his friend Fred Seely to help build the Grove Park Inn. Seely promised Grove that the hotel would be completed less than a year from groundbreaking. Four-hundred men worked six days a week in 10-hour shifts. The workers only had access to wagons, mules and ropes to carry granite boulders from Sunset Mountain, with some of the boulders weighing as much as 10,000 pounds. Seely was able to keep his promise when the hotel was finished just three days before the one-year mark. The Inn opened on July 12, 1913, with a keynote address given by Secretary of State William Jennings Bryan. Fred Seely served as the executive architect for the Grove Park Inn. Flickr/Selena N.B.H

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Romare Bearden Park: The completed design for Romare Bearden Park was created by Neighboring Concepts in association with LandDesign. Named after the Charlotte native Romare Bearden, the African-American artist is best known for his collages, many of which are inspired by Bearden’s life in Harlem and the West Indies. The Romare Bearden Park is the biggest urban park in the Uptown Charlotte area. Neighboring Concepts designed the kiosk, restroom facilities and arbor trellis. These features help the visitor re-imagine a stroll in a Parisian garden; this helps honor Bearden’s education at the Sorbonne. The park has a lively mood and a raw juxtaposition of Bearden’s Jazz Age visual compositions. Leo Caplanides

R.J. Reynolds Building: The R.J. Reynolds Building was designed with the Empire State Building in mind, with the purpose of using the first floor as offices and retail outlets. Shreve & Lamb were brought in as the executive architects, and were asked for “an effect of conservatism along with attractiveness, but to avoid flashiness.” The architects may not have followed those requests because in 1997 the Winston-Salem Journal said that the “city residents could be forgiven for wondering whether the architects follow the directive” because “Gray-brown marble from Missouri, black marble from Belgium and buff-colored marble from France covered the walls and floor. The ceiling was festooned with gold leaves, and the grillwork, elevator doors, and door frames were bright, gleaming brass.” The building now houses apartments and businesses. Flickr/Chuck Allen

AIA North Carolina Center for Architecture and Design: The mission of the new AIA North Carolina Center for Architecture & Design is to bridge architecture and the public. The facilities exhibit design excellence and represent the talent and aspirations of AIA North Carolina members. The building will provide headquarters for the AIA NC Chapter and will act as a contact point for government participation; a catalyst for public outreach; and a design education program to radiate throughout the state, provide public exposure for architects and their work, and serve as a source of pride for AIA NC members and the entire state. Frank Harmon served as the executive architect for the AIA North Carolina Center for Architecture and Design. Tim Hursley

Reynolda House: Katherine Smith Reynolds played a dominant role in planning for the Reynolda House. This self-sufficient estate just outside of the city limits of Winston features 60 rooms, formal and informal gardens, and a lake. In 1965 the Reynolda House was established as a non-profit institution dedicated to education and the arts. The collection began with nine paintings, featuring work by Gilbert Stuart, William Harnett, Frederic Church, William Merritt Chase and Albert Bierstadt. The collection has continued to grow yearly and now possesses drawings, sculptures, paintings and photographs dating from 1755 to present. Charles Barton Keen served as the executive architect for the Reynolda House. Reynolda House

Bank of America Corporate Headquarters: Located at 100 N. Tryon Street, the Bank of America Corporate Center celebrated its 25th anniversary this year. Opened in 1992, it is the tallest building in the state at 871 feet and 60 stories high, and the tallest between Atlanta and Philadelphia. On a clear day, the tower is visible from 35 miles away. The building was designed by Argentine architect César Pelli and HKS Architects. The lobby has one of the largest secular frescoes in the world, painted by Ben Long. The work took more than a year to complete and was painted on-site using the traditional technique of fresco painting. The Corporate Center is connected to the North Carolina Blumenthal Performing Arts Center and Founders Hall, a large, glass-enclosed public space surrounded by shops and restaurants. Cesar Pelli served as the executive architect for the Bank of America Corporate Headquarters. Bank of America

Bellamy MansionIn 1859 Dr. Bellamy wished for his home to be constructed with classic style, and in an old dependable fashion, but he was very interested in modern utilities and inventions that would keep his family comfortable. The mansion was furnished with running hot and cold water, which was provided by a large cistern and pump. The new home even had gas chandeliers to light the large rooms. The tin roof has channels that allow for quick drainage and insulation. Due to Wilmington’s high temperatures and humidity in the summer months, the large door-sized windows on the first floor open all the way, making them disappear into the wall. This allowed for a breeze to circulate through the home and walkways of the wraparound porch. James F. Post served as the executive architect for the Bellamy Mansion. Flickr/Jameslwoodward

Tryon Palace: Tryon Palace was the location of the first sessions of the general assembly for the State of North Carolina that took place after the Revolution and welcomed state governors until 1794. A fire destroyed the original palace building in 1798. A considerable 30-year campaign to rebuild the palace and recreate the grounds was started by the citizens of New Bern, craftsmen, state leaders, and charitable, dedicated people such as Mrs. James Edwin Latham. These combined efforts helped to create the exultant return of the Tryon Palace in 1959. Today, the palace continues on as a reminder of history, community and rebirth. John Hawks served as the executive architect of Tryon Palace. Tryon Palace

North Carolina State Legislative Building: Completed in 1963, the North Carolina State Legislative Building features many unique architectural characteristics. Features include a 22-foot-wide red-carpeted stair that takes guests from the entrance to the third floor where the galleries for the House and Senate are located. There are rooftop gardens and garden courts placed in the four corners of the building. The brass doors that lead into the House and Senate chambers weigh 1,700 pounds per pair. There is a 12-foot-diameter brass chandelier that hangs over the rotunda and weighs 750 pounds. There are brass chandeliers in the chambers and at the foot of the main stair that are eight feet in diameter and weigh 625 pounds each. The entrance of the Legislative Building features a 28-foot-diameter terrazzo mosaic of the Great Seal of the State of North Carolina. Edward Durell Stone served as the executive architect for the North Carolina State Legislative Building. Flickr/Jayron32